8BitDo Ultimate 2.4GHz wifi working in linux

8BitDoUltimateWifi_Linux.MD

FROM https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comments/zmvkdj/8bitdo_ultimate_bluetooth_controller_working_in/

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I've bought this new controller from 8BitDo and wished to use on linux, to my sadness the controller didn't work out of the box, neither by cable, the 2.4G dongle or bluetooth.

So I've tried a number of solutions and this one from u/GodOfEmus over in the 8bitdo community was the one to work for me:

1. Create a new file /etc/udev/rules.d/99-8bitdo-xinput.rules
2. Paste this udev rule in there, then save and exit the file:

  ACTION=="add", ATTRS{idVendor}=="2dc8", ATTRS{idProduct}=="3106", RUN+="/sbin/modprobe xpad", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo 2dc8 3106 > /sys/bus/usb/drivers/xpad/new_id'"

3. Run the following command in a terminal: sudo udevadm control --reload
4. Unplug and replug the controller if it was already plugged in, it might take a second if you have the bluetooth version

It will basically "cheat" the OS to see the controller as an generic xbox device, so sadly no bluetooth nor gyro control if you care about that, but the rumbling is working for me.

Link to the original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/8bitdo/comments/ykdsmv/ultimate_24_ghz_model_right_analog_not_working_in/

And link to the comment of u/GodOfEmus with the solution: https://www.reddit.com/r/8bitdo/comments/ykdsmv/comment/iv48s4k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Sharing this solution here to spread the word in our community

Other 8bitdo pad works out the box? I had a xbox 360 Wireless pad more than a decade no problem but need replacement. Any recommendations?

Other 8bitdo pad works out the box? I had a xbox 360 Wireless pad more than a decade no problem but need replacement. Any recommendations?

I have a 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller that works out-of-the-box in Xinput mode (with 6.12 kernel or newer (I am using Linux Mint 22.2-Xfce with 6.14 kernel)). to get Xinput mode enabled you simply press and hold X while inserting USB connector into the USB port (it will retain this setting on future so no need to hold X each time you plug it in). if you want to go back to Dinput you simply press and hold B while inserting USB cable into PC.

I also switched from a official wireless XBox360 controller (with official USB dongle), which I had since late 2000's, to the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller back in December 2024.

NOTE: I think wired is better than wireless long term. I would not buy a wireless controller that does not support AA batteries simply because you can get quality replacements (NiMh Eneloop etc) when those go bad which you can't on your typical rechargeable lithium device. because without AA (NiMh) the controller will likely outlast the battery. even that aside, it's nice not having to worry about batteries when using the controller as you just plug it in and play.

I would say the most obvious improvement on the 8BitDo over XBox360 controller is the dpad as XBox360's is not good to say the least (so if you play games that use that, it's a solid upgrade). but I will say the pressure sensitive triggers are a 'slight' downgrade vs official XBox360 controllers trigger pull. not a big deal as I play games where you control vehicles (arcade and some more sim like) and the 8BitDo still works well enough.

p.s. the controls firmware can even be updated on Linux using a Windows 10 virtual machine (QEMU/KVM) using the VM's USB passthrough option (needs to be connected in Xinput mode for the official 8BitDo software to acknowledge the controller is connected). mine came with v1.06 out-of-the-box and v1.09 is the newest currently (in all honesty the firmware changes are very minimal as I doubt most people would even care to upgrade the firmware).